What's your favourite headphone?

[johnlewitt]

Hi All,

I'm looking at getting some new headphones for my studio. I bought my Fostex T20's 20 years ago and, while they still work, I figure there are better phones out there now. What do you use that you really love?

Let me know.

John

[HectorRContreras]

This may help just a little bit, dear John :

http://forums.taxi.com/topic127370.html

[davekershaw]

Loads to choose from, but I bought BeyerDynamic DT990 Pro's last year,
and find them great for mixing:

http://europe.beyerdynamic.com/shop/dt-990-pro.html

[marcblack30]

Loads to choose from, but I bought BeyerDynamic DT990 Pro's last year,
and find them great for mixing:

http://europe.beyerdynamic.com/shop/dt-990-pro.html

+1

These sound amazing, and are super comfortable to wear for extended periods, sometimes I wear them even when I'm not listening to music
I also picked up the DT770's which are closed, I actually prefer the DT990's but the 770's keep my wife from asking "who's this girl singing on your track"

[bobporri]

John,

These are not high end headphones by any means, but, I use these as my spare "kick around" headphones and for the ridiculous price of $30, I find them very good. Buy higher end certainly, but for an extra pair to have around, these might be worth checking out. They sound great (to me) and do not tire my ears out. And comparitively, they are almost free.

http://www.amazon.com/Superlux-681-Dyna ... lux+hd-681

Bob P.

[jdhogg]

ATH-M50

http://www.audio-technica.com/cms/happe ... index.html


A-T’s flagship ATH-M50 Studio Monitor Headphones deliver the whole truth: natural response through the entire frequency range–no little white lies smudging out or hyping sounds along the way. Since their introduction in January ’07, they’ve acquired quite a following. Listen in…

"A-T has raised the bar once again, this time with the new M50 headphones, and this time they've raised it quite a bit. Already these phones are by far the favorite in our studio."
George Massenburg — GRAMMY®-winning engineer & producer


“Is there anything less glamorous to talk about in the studio than headphones? Ok…apart from mic stands. Well, not any more. In fact, based on the comments of artists I’ve had try the ATH-M50 headphone, it’s the most exciting thing to come along in years. Yeah, I know…tube gear is great, and that new pre you just got is amazing. But think about this…the performance of your artist has a lot more to do with the mix they hear in the headphones than some vintage channel strip you just spent three grand on. Artists who have for years had to tolerate low-quality headphones for high-volume use simply don’t have to compromise anymore. These are fantastic-sounding headphones, period. There just isn’t anything better you can do for your artist than to give them a pair of these.”
Frank Filipetti — GRAMMY®-winning mixer and producer


“I tried these phones on a few major artists and they all said, ‘WOW these are great.’ We use these phones on all our vocalists.”
Al Schmitt — GRAMMY®-winning recording engineer and producer


“Although I have tried, I've never felt comfortable mixing or referencing my mixes using headphones. They have usually been too hypy, bright, bassy...and uncomfortable on my head and hot on my ears. I would try, but would only get frustrated and confused and sometimes would just not bother. Since I got my ATH-M50 headphones, I have actually enjoyed mixing and referencing with headphones. My M50 headphones are now an integral part of my process....they absolutely translate with my speakers, but most importantly, they translate to the outside world. With so many music lovers around the world listening through their headphones to iPods, and other personal portable players, it is now more important than ever to know what your work is going to sound like in the real world; with my ATH-M50 headphones, I am more confident than ever that my work will be heard the way I intended it to be heard.”
Ed Cherney — GRAMMY® and TEC award-winning producer/engineer


"The M50's seem to be winning hands-down. Everyone that's heard them won't give them back."
Tom Schlum — Chief Engineer | Capitol Studios


“I am listening to a track right now on the plane through the ATH-M50's. Pretty amazing, the bass depth, even with the ambient noise of a 737 jet engine. Bodes well for recording drums and bass in a one-room studio.”
Ian Moore — Singer/songwriter


I've gotten used to [other industry-standard headphones]. After A-B'ing them with the ATH-M50, I found much richer bass in the A-T phones, and truer mids through highs. …Please convey my congrats to the technical staff on these fine headphones. They are a welcome addition to my studio.”
David Cole — Recording engineer

[Russell Landwehr]

A couple of years ago I was in search of some nice headphones. I went to my local Guitar Center with a couple of my favorite CD's in hand of music that I was intimately familiar with. (Styx, Toto, Pink Floyd) And I tested just about every "high-end" headphone they had in the store. What I wanted was a bottom end that I could hear, a transparent high end that didn't get too harsh, and clarity in the midrange.

After much A/Bing, I purchased the Sony Professional MDR-7506. http://store.sony.com/professional-stud ... es-Earbuds I'm VERY happy with the sound and the comfort. And the cost was about $100USD +gas for the trip.

Before hand, I did on-line research but was unable to make a decision with my eyes and brain... that is why I went to Guitar Center and used my EARS.

BTW, I was later reading a book on mixing. "Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio" by Mike Senior. He listed his personal favorite top-end headphones. They are: Beyerdynamic's DT880 Pro, Sennheiser's HD650, and Sony's MDR7509 HD.
I believe the Sony model has been discontinued, the Sony MDR7520 is the replacement coming in at about $380USD. The Sennheiser runs about $450USD, The Beyerdynamic about $280USD.

Also, you didn't say what the headphones are for... if you are mixing on headphones, while it's not a bad thing to do, it's not advisable... when mixing, headphones are best just to spot check for stuff like noise and to know what kind of mix the Taxi screeners are going to hear. If you are using them to track vocals or acoustic guitar then you definitely want a closed-back model, but you would still be better off with ear-buds (the ones you use all day). You won't get any bleed into the mic that way. (thanks to Stuart Cardell for the ear-bud tip)

HTH

Russell

[johnlewitt]

This is all good.

I've been looking at splurging on something high end (it's my birthday this month and I always try and buy myself something nice each year!).

There's so much stuff out there, it's hard to sort through all the clutter.

I've been looking at opened and closed (and yes I realize the pros and cons of each). I have no problem switching from one to the other, as the recording session dictates.

There's nothing wrong with my current phones, but if there were a pair out there which would make what I do better, I'm all in! So appreciate all this feedback.

John